Stracciatella literally means “little shreds” or “little rags” in Italian. It’s also the name for three very different foods: a soup with shreds of meat, a cheese made from scraps left over after the production of mozzarella cheese that are mixed with fresh cream, or a gelato flavor that incorporates drizzled chocolate.
Traditionally, stracciatella in gelato or ice cream form involves a white or milk-based gelato that has melted chocolate drizzled in during the churning process. The chocolate hardens instantly upon contact with the cold gelato, creating solid shreds or shards, which is where it gets the name of stracciatella, or little shreds. Modern commercial production of stracciatella might use grated or chopped chocolate chips instead of drizzled chocolate.
This week, Aldi is selling stracciatella dipped ice cream cookie sandwiches that offer their own unique take on the frozen dessert form of stracciatella. The package describes this as “chocolate chip ice cream sandwiched between two cocoa cookies, dipped in cocoa glaze with hazelnut pieces and wafer crumbs.” My family has been trying to reduce our sugar intake for the last few months, and we’ve done well on that front, but this dessert looked so intriguing that I had to pick it up to try at home as a treat. We didn’t regret that decision.
Sundae Shoppe Stracciatella Dipped Cookie Sandwiches are an Aldi Find, so they’re only in stores for a short time. Each store gets one shipment. After that sells out, they’re gone unless Aldi decides to bring them back at some later time. Aldi does not offer online ordering for these if they’re sold out at your local store.
These cost $3.49 for a 17.25-ounce package at the time of publication. That comes out to about 20 cents an ounce. With six individually wrapped cookie sandwiches per package, that’s about 58 cents per serving.
These are made in Germany. They feature Rainforest Alliance certified cocoa.
This dessert is sold under the Sundae Shoppe brand. There is no company called Sundae Shoppe. Instead, Aldi uses that name on a variety of different frozen desserts and ice cream products that it sources from various suppliers.
Nutrition information and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)
If you’re looking out for allergens, these contain milk, soy, wheat, coconut, and hazelnut. They may contain egg, peanut, and other tree nuts. These also contain some processed ingredients such as gums (thickeners), soy lecithin (an emulsifier), and natural flavor.
One serving (54 grams) has 170 calories, 9 grams of total fat (12% DV), 7 grams of saturated fat (35% DV), 30 mg of sodium (1% DV), 21 grams of total carbohydrates (8% DV), 1 gram of dietary fiber (4% DV), 13 grams of total sugars, 11 grams of added sugars (22% DV), and 2 grams of protein.
Out of the wrapper.
These are delicious. The ice cream is creamy, with a nice texture from the chocolate chips that are mixed in. The ice cream is shaped in a long rectangular bar similar to an ice cream sandwich, but one end is sandwiched between two cookies, while the other end is covered in crisp chocolate with small hazelnut pieces. The cookies are soft and melt in your mouth, with a very mild cocoa flavor. The chocolate coating is satisfyingly crisp and the hazelnut pieces add interesting texture and flavor. This dessert is like a cross between an ice cream sandwich and a chocolate ice cream bar, and it is so good that I hope Aldi brings it back around in the future.
The Verdict:
Sundae Shoppe Stracciatella Dipped Cookie Sandwiches feature chocolate chip ice cream sandwiched between two cocoa cookies on one end, while the other end is dipped in a cocoa glaze with hazelnut pieces and wafer crumbs. If you’re in the mood for a unique and tasty ice cream dessert, this is it.
